On 8 December 2012 it was announced that the first ever 'European Olympics' will be held in the city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The date was decided by the European Olympic Committee (EOC) after two years of planning and disagreements.
It turns out that Baku was the only city to bid to be the first host for the first European Games, so even if it took a long time to decide if, and when, to hold the Games, the question of where must have been an easy one.
Baku is the largest city on the Caspian sea (it has over 200,000 people) and is an important port and industrial centre in the area. Petroleum is the main export. It is also a popular tourist destination for the neighbouring countries, as Azerbaijan has some interesting historic monuments such as the Zoroastrian fire temple, and some other lovely old buildings as well as more modern shopping centres etc. Since it was named as the Games host city, global interest in Baku has grown.